The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.
Typically, cookware is a type of food preparation containers used in both home and commercial kitchen. The cookware can include eclectic cooking vessels, such as saucepans, skillets, slow cookers, and frying pans that are intended for use on a stove or range cooktop. Some cookware uses the principle of inductive heating to heat the food contained therein. Induction heating is a non-contact method of heating a conductive body by utilizing a strong magnetic field. It is often useful to stir the food, including sauces, gravies, and gels while they are being cooked in the cookware.
Generally, a slow cooker is a type of cooking device that is well known in the art. Slow cookers typically include removable ceramic (or stoneware) vessels to hold the food being cooked. The ceramic vessel is inserted into a heating liner which is placed within a metallic housing which follows the outer contours of the ceramic vessel so that when the heated liner is activated, the heat distributes over the surface of the ceramic. Slow cookers typically have a selector switch having a high (200° Fahrenheit), low (100° Fahrenheit) and off setting for varying heat settings.
It is known in the art that the heating units of slow cookers are typically simple devices and not magnetic. A slow cooker has an inner heat conductive, and usually metallic, liner which is used to evenly distribute heat over the ceramic vessel. The liner is usually heated by a thin heating element band which is wrapped around the exterior of the metallic basin. The heating element can be a simple heating band which is held on by a compression fit over the outside of the metallic basin. The liner typically has a ridge or similar structure that assists in securing the heating band around the liner.
Typically, slow cookers rely on a slow, low and even rate of cooking to function. Cooking time in slow cookers may be several hours. The low temperature of the cooking permits the user of the device to start cooking a meal in the morning and have it ready and properly cooked in time for dinner. Due to the slow cooking nature of the device, the contents of the ceramic need not be constantly monitored in order to prevent burning.
In addition, the relatively low power and even distribution of heat of the slow cooker prevents hot spots from forming in the ceramic, which could lead to thermal stresses and ultimately cracking of the ceramic. The ceramic that is used acts as an insulator which is beneficial for slow cooking and in even distribution of the heat. Slow cookers allow simmering type cooking over several hours.
Often, magnetic stirrers are used in chemistry and biology, where they can be used inside hermetically closed vessels without the need for complicated rotary seals. They are preferred over gear-driven motorized stirrers because they are quieter, more efficient, and have no moving external parts to break or wear out. Magnetic stir bars work well in glass vessels commonly used for chemical reactions as glass does not appreciably affect a magnetic field. The limited size of some stirring bars limits magnetic stirrers to non-viscous liquids.
Specialty high-effective stirring bars have been developed, ideal for viscous media, stirring over wide distances or for disadvantageous vessel bottoms and other stirring challenges. Because of its small size and Teflon coating, a stirring bar is easily cleaned and sterilized. Further, magnetic stirrers do not require lubricants which could contaminate food; and magnetic stirrers are known in the art to be operable in boiling liquids.
Other proposals have involved heating and stirring assemblies in cookware. The problem with these assemblies is that they do not automate the stirring process through use of electromagnetic coils. Also, the stirrer is not adaptable to follow various patterns, speeds, and directions, so as to optimize stirring. Also, the stirring and heating functions are not separate. Even though the above cited cookware meets some of the needs of the market, a cookware and geometrically patterned magnetic stirrer assembly that provides cookware for heating and stirring food and at least one geometrically patterned electromagnetic coil that is integrated into the cookware; whereby the electromagnetic coil generates a magnetic field when an electrical current passes through; and whereby at least one magnetic stirrer operates on the cooking surface to stir the food in response to the magnetic field, in accordance to the path of geometric pattern is still desired.